Even though he had anticipated it, Ron never expected that the goodwill released by Filvis would end up providing such critical information directly.
Buying time.
That was exactly what he needed right now. Only by growing strong enough could he face the conspiracies that would inevitably unfold around the secrets he carried.
Knowing Dionysus's nature, if Filvis failed to achieve the outcome he wanted, he would absolutely send other Creatures or members of Evilus to probe further and begin taking concrete action.
"..."
Sometimes... having absurdly good talent was a headache in itself!
If Dionysus ever realized that behind the fog gate lurked the Pus of Man capable of destroying Orario, the consequences would be unimaginable.
Even while soaking in the hot spring, Ron could still feel a trace of coldness.
This wasn't something caution alone could prevent.
The Dungeon-transformation effects brought by the Despicable Outsider could never be perfectly concealed.
The reward brought by such high risks was the rapid growth of an adventurer's strength.
But the hidden dangers accompanying it had already become extremely troublesome.
'The coveting gaze of the Evilus gods.'
And even—the uniqueness he possessed had already become an indispensable part of the god Dionysus's "Madness" plan.
Action against him was inevitable.
'How come...'
'It feels like I need to seize enough initiative in this whole mess!'
"..."
As if noticing the grave expression on Ron's face, Filvis's originally cold and stunning fairy-like face—with black hair and crimson eyes—rarely showed a trace of emotional movement.
As fellow Creatures, this was a matter of stance.
Clearly—the path the boy before her had chosen was to live as a normal adventurer and truly become part of that world.
She couldn't provide an answer.
But destroying Orario and allowing the corrupted spirit to rule the surface was not a future the girl wished to see.
If that happened, it would only give rise to new conflicts and friction.
In other words, Ron had already become the version of herself she wished she could have been.
Thinking of that, the girl slowly rose from the hot spring pool.
Her Familia uniform, soaked through by the water, clung tightly to her originally form-fitting outfit, perfectly tracing Filvis's already beautiful figure.
The droplets hanging from the tips of her hair paired flawlessly with her cold, elegant elven face.
Pure allure was nothing less than this.
Perhaps sensing Ron's inner conflict, the girl walked over to him.
Bending slightly, she reached out her hand and imitated the way "humans" comforted one another, gently patting his head.
"Adventurers... comfort people like this, right?"
"..."
Why were Creatures all this absurdly yasashii?
Ron raised his head and looked directly into the crimson eyes of the black-haired elf girl.
Compared to before, there was now a faint spark of life gradually returning to them.
His mood felt strangely complicated.
After all, the way this connection between them had begun was honestly pretty weird!
"That's right."
Inheriting Filvis's memories from before her death did not mean the black-haired girl before him was a mentally complete person.
She was more like a blank sheet of paper.
It was just that, under Dionysus's brainwashing, that blank sheet had been turned into a blueprint for destroying Orario.
"About the artificial labyrinth."
"Can you tell me everything you know?"
Ron felt like freeloading off Filvis's goodwill wasn't exactly right.
At the same time, this was also a way of guiding the elf girl in another direction.
So when he asked the question, he decisively offered his help as well: "Mhm..."
"I'm not going to make you help for nothing. I'll also teach you how to blend in... how to become an adventurer and adapt to living normally in Orario in the future."
"Okay."
"The artificial labyrinth... is actually connected to the god of death, Thanatos. Barca... the descendants of Daedalus worked together with members of the Thanatos Familia to build it."
"As for the funding, it was provided by Orario's Ishtar Familia."
Filvis did not refuse Ron's request.
After confirming each other's identities as Creatures, she truly could no longer follow Dionysus's wishes and harm one of her own kind.
At that point, the girl's expression became rarely serious.
"So you need time. Dionysus works very closely with the corrupted spirit. They even control..."
"Gugalanna—the Power Bull Demi Spirit."
"A demi spirit whose strength rivals a Lv.7 adventurer."
"As for the things you mentioned..." Filvis was indeed very interested, but she understood the priorities of the situation. After thinking seriously for a moment, she tilted her head slightly.
"Mhm..."
"Then tell me after this whole storm is over!"
"..."
Watching the graceful back of the black-haired elf girl as she left, Ron slowly closed his eyes and began recalling things.
The side-story portions of DanMachi.
He couldn't remember every detail.
He only retained clearer impressions of the key targets.
And now, because of his own appearance, the plot had already spiraled completely out of control.
It had developed to a point where it could no longer be contained.
If he wanted to raise his strength to the level necessary for self-preservation before this ticking bomb fully exploded, he honestly had little confidence.
At minimum, he would need to reach Lv.5.
But that was absolutely unrealistic...
"The Ishtar Familia."
"The rabbit arrived in Orario ahead of schedule. Which means— the Killing Stone plan is still only in preparation, and the fox girl Haruhime is probably still imprisoned."
"With Uchide no Kozuchi... it can temporarily raise an adventurer's level..."
By the time his thoughts reached this point, Ron already had a rough direction in mind.
As a member of the Ishtar Familia, the uniqueness of Sanjouno Haruhime's magic went without saying.
It was absolutely bug-level.
Uchide no Kozuchi.
Ninefold.
At most, the magic of Uchide no Kozuchi could be granted to nine adventurers.
If they could recruit the fox girl Haruhime into the Hestia Familia, she would absolutely become one of the highest-tier support members during future Soulslike Dungeon expeditions.
"If there's a chance... should I just rescue Haruhime directly?"
The strongest combat force within the Ishtar Familia was none other than the battle prostitute Phryne, a Lv.5 adventurer whose alias was "Men Killer."
As for the other members, they also possessed several Lv.4 adventurers.
In terms of Familia ranking within the Guild, they far surpassed the current Hestia Familia.
Worthy of the title, the strongest A-Rank Familia outside of the Loki and Freya Familias!
"What a pain..."
If he wanted to eliminate the hidden danger posed by Dionysus, he needed enough strength to face the coming threats.
But achieving multiple breakthroughs in a short period of time was simply unrealistic.
Still—if he truly had the freedom to choose his opponent, Ron would rather choose the latter: the Ishtar Familia.
Not only could he obtain the bug-level support of Sanjouno Haruhime, he could also cooperate with the Loki Familia.
Maybe... he could completely seize the initiative against the schemes of the god Dionysus.
Otherwise, powerful Creatures would continue coveting him from the shadows.
Even exploring the Dungeon made Ron feel uncomfortable all over!
He constantly had to stay on guard, afraid of being abducted by Creatures and falling into the hands of Dionysus and the corrupted spirit.
The consequences would absolutely be unimaginable.
"My entire life has been like walking on thin ice..."
"So in this goddamned storm of chaos, can I actually make it to the other side?"
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